


The Recipe For Love

by fine_feathered



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:17:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fine_feathered/pseuds/fine_feathered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Milton is a struggling writer who has never had much luck with romance. That all changes one night when he falls and is caught by a handsome stranger, Dean. But after the chance meeting, strange things start to happen. Castiel becomes a gay Internet icon, reporters hound him and there may even be something supernatural at work. And was meeting Dean really just luck, or was it fate? A story of romance, cooking and finding out that fate may not always be so cruel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Recipe For Love

**Author's Note:**

> I managed to snag the lovely Petite-Madame for the reverse bang. Please check out the art she created for the story, and the comic that inspired this. It was a real pleasure working with her. I had so much fun.  
> http://smallworld-inc.livejournal.com/25964.html  
> Thank you also to knightjern at Tumblr for being the best beta I've ever had.  
> This will probably be my last SPN fanfiction, enjoy my swan song.
> 
> Russian translation:  
> http://ficbook.net/readfic/1605760

Prologue – The Banana Incident

The cat purred and circled around his legs, trilling as he looked up into Castiel’s face. Despite the cat’s best efforts he ignored him. “You’re on a diet Archie.” For a long time he had insisted to his vet that Archie was just fluffy. After all, he was longhaired with wispy white fur and ruddy gold eyes but there was no denying that he was overweight.

      

Unsatisfied with the answer, Archie narrowed his eyes and leapt up onto the surface. Castiel shook his head, pushing the cat away with the back of his hand as he tried to crack an egg into the porcelain mixing bowl. “Shoo.”

       

Archie seemed to give up then, fluffy tail drooping, but then he set his eyes on the carton of eggs. He sat down with his back to Castiel and swiped his tail catching one of the loose eggs on the counter, sending it tumbling to the floor. Castiel froze when he heard the distinctive crack.

      

Why tonight? When he needed a pick-me-up of his grandmother’s special recipe for brownies. He needed his sugar fix—and bad, with the headache that was pulsing behind his eyes. Putting down the eggshells in his hands onto the counter, Castiel leaned down with a paper towel and began to wipe up the mess. Then he felt the cardboard egg carton bounce onto his head and onto the floor. He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he felt the unmistakable cool and sticky sensation of an egg sliding down his cheek.

 

With his chaos accomplished, Archie hopped down off the surface and began to walk away, straight through the eggs so that he trailed it across the floorboards. Castiel felt his eye twitch. Somehow, Archie had even managed to get an eggshell perfectly balanced on his furry head. Standing, Castiel plucked the shell off him and put it back onto the counter. Grabbing a tissue, he wiped his face clean.

      

This wasn’t going to stop him from getting his fix. No way in Hell. He glanced at his watch and the silver hands indicated it was 8:55PM. If he hurried, he could make it to the store and grab himself another box of eggs.

 

Slipping on his jacket and his black leather shoes, Castiel left his townhouse. The house he lived in was modest and quaint, on the end of a block of houses. It wasn’t modern, but Castiel liked it that way. The wood of the house felt warm and homely and the rose bushes and trees that grew at the side of his two story house made him feel at peace despite being in the centre of the city.

 

But even his home hadn’t been enough to lift his mood. Today had been awful, as his publisher had wanted a meeting and then Archie had caused chaos too. A meeting with his publisher never boded well and this one was no exception. Ion had gotten right down to business, demanding why he hadn’t seen a draft in months, asking what the Hell had happened to his once bright career. All Castiel could do was sit there in his suit, blue tie askew, and take it. He didn’t know where he had gone wrong, where his inspiration was.

      

Castiel tucked his hands into his coat pockets, staring blankly ahead without really seeing. Sighing, he paid no attention to the city bustling around him, the lights or the people, as he was consumed with the thoughts pricking at his head.

 

His first mistake of the day was agreeing to that damn meeting. His second mistake was letting Archie run amok in the kitchen. His third and hopefully last, was not paying to attention to where he was going. Suddenly, he felt his shoe slip on something and he glanced down to see a flash of yellow.

      

 _A banana peel? Who actually slips on a banana peel?_    

That was the last coherent thought on his mind as he felt gravity pulling at him. Castiel squeezed his eyes closed, expecting a bright burst of pain, maybe even the crack of bones but neither of those came. In fact, he was warm and there was a comforting pressure on his back that set him back onto his feet. Castiel opened his eyes and was met with startling green eyes. The man tilted his head fondly, corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile.

 

Immediately, Castiel stepped back and out of the man’s embrace. He felt his cheeks begin to burn and his words came out in a flurry of apologies and excuses.

 

But the man didn’t seem to mind at all and he raised a hand to wave away the apologies. “It’s nothing really. It can happen to anybody.”

 

But that didn’t put Castiel at ease. He wished that whoever this man was would have just let him hit the pavement to save him from this embarrassment. Maybe then he would have broken his wrist and would have had a good excuse to give to his publisher for not writing. “This kind of thing never happens to me, you know. Usually I’m not so awkward.”

 

Castiel cringed internally, his whole body was trembling. Why was he acting like this? He needed to get a grip and wipe the awkward smile from his face. Throughout it all, his stranger’s smile never faltered for a moment. In fact, it seemed to grow.

 

The stranger finally took a step back and he gave Castiel a wave, “I told you it was ok. But be careful, I won’t always be there to catch you."

 

With that, the crowd of people began to separate them and Castiel stood there dumbstruck, watching the stranger turn and walk away. He didn’t think he’d ever forget his handsome face, the man was probably a model or something. Castiel swallowed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. As he walked away, he couldn’t help but search the crowd for the stranger. But as quickly as the man had appeared, he had disappeared into the city’s nightscape.

 

Castiel walked slowly to the grocery store, making sure to stay true to the stranger’s advice. He felt himself smiling, all thoughts of Ion and his lack of inspiration being pushed aside in the meantime. He could have fallen in uglier arms, so maybe his third mistake of the day wasn’t a mistake after all.

 

 

Chapter 1 – Vanilla 

Castiel woke up with a headache. He groaned as he rolled over in bed, hiding his face in the pillow and away from the rays of the sun. He hated mornings with a passion and simply couldn’t understand anyone who thought otherwise. Archie, however, seemed to be a morning person—well, cat. Archie purred and climbed on top of Castiel’s back, kneading the soft blanket Castiel had around his shoulders.  Castiel sat up with a groan, sending Archie tumbling clumsily down onto the sheets.

 

He dragged himself down the stairs and into the kitchen, where he then turned on the coffeemaker. Right next to it was a pad of paper and a pen, stark white on the wooden counter top and smuggled between the mason jar of flour and wicker basket of fresh eggs. The pen and paper stared up at him, accusingly. His sister Anna had once suggested that he should keep a dream journal or something similar, so that any ideas that came to him in sleep could be written down and thought about later. Perhaps, Anna had said, an idea for a best seller would come to him like that.

 

Castiel pushed the pad and pen aside and put down his coffee mug in their place. Once the coffee was brewed, he poured himself a cup and wandered to his living room. The fireplace was cold but there was a basket of wood ready for the colder months, his sofa was covered with soft alpaca blankets and faced a small flat screen television. But his living room was taken up mainly by the book cases that lines the walls. He paused, coffee mug an inch from his lips. There was a strange noise coming from his front door, adjacent to the living room. Archie seemed to notice it too as he was sitting in front of the door, staring.

 

Castiel took a sip of his coffee as he padded over to the front door in his fluffy thick socks. Maybe there was a package being dropped off? Opening the door, he was immediately consumed by a bright white flash. Castiel blinked rapidly and stared out at a mass of people. “Wha-?”

 

He couldn’t even get the full word out as question after question was fired out at him. He picked up only a few words, ‘boyfriend’, ‘Dean’, ‘picture’. He stood there stunned, eyes wide and mug of coffee slowly but surely tipping the hot brown liquid out. Only when it splashed onto his socks did it break him out of his reverie. Castiel backed up into his house.

 

“I, I think you’ve got the wrong guy, “ he quickly mumbled out as he shut the door on the faces of the reporters and the camera crews. Oh god, there were camera crews, microphones? Castiel looked down at himself and saw the old white t-shirt he was wearing and the embarrassingly small green shorts.

      

Castiel went back into the kitchen and picked up his cell phone. He was never very good at checking it, he had been through several this year as he was prone to losing them. Sure enough, when he unlocked the screen there was an envelope declaring three unread messages.

 

Castiel didn't realize his hands were shaking until he felt coffee splash against his wrist. With a growl, he put the coffee down. He didn’t even get to bake his brownies last night, he woke up far too early due to worrying over his lack of inspiration, and now he had a hungry horde or reporters clamoring outside of his door. Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He opened the mailbox and read the first message, which was from his brother Gabriel.

 

_Congrats bro! And thanks to you I’m $100 richer :D_

 

Castiel narrowed his eyes at the screen. Smilies and annoyingly vague.

 

He deleted the message and then read the next one, this one from Anna.

 

 _I’m so proud of you! We need to catch up and chat. <3_ 

Castiel resisted the urge to smack the phone against his head. Why were the two messages so far so unhelpful?

 

The third and last one was from Luci.

 

_I know I’m going to sound a bit old school but maybe you could have taken the time to come out to your family before posting your photo online, don’t you think? (and now I owe Gabe $100)_

 

Castiel almost dropped the phone with his shock. He only just managed to put it on the counter and then grip the edge of the smooth wood. Is that what all those photographers were talking about? Some photo of him posted online? He walked over to the living room and picked up his laptop, stumbling down onto the couch as he was shaking so much. He flicked open the lid, ignoring Archie as he rubbed up against his leg.

      

Staring at the Google homepage, he suddenly realized he had no idea what to Google for. He started typing, each key a methodical press. _‘Gay.’_ Before he had time to finish typing his search a list of recommended suggestions came up of his previous browsing history. But now was not the time to blow off steam by watching porn. He continued to type ‘gay couple’ and then selected the Google News search. Crossing his fingers for luck, he waited as the images started to appear.

 

Then, he saw it. It. The banana incident. He clicked on the picture as horror began to grow. There he was, in his coat and scarf, cheeks rouge as he stared into the eyes of his handsome savior who cradled Castiel gently against his chest. If he himself hadn’t of known of the circumstances of the photo, he would have assumed that they were lovers.

      

He groaned and closed the laptop. Why did he have to come out like this? Castiel opened the laptop again and ran his fingers through his hair.

 

This wasn’t like him, he didn’t panic, or so he tried to tell himself. This was just one photo. The sensationalism of it would pass with time. He decided to click on the website that the image belonged to and he was taken to something called Tumblr. Apparently there was over 258,000 notes on it. Okay, so a lot of time might need to pass because that sounded like a lot of 'notes'. The beginning of a headache was starting to pound at his skull and he closed his laptop again. He wandered back into his bedroom and flopped down onto the bed and closed his eyes. There was no reason he couldn't hole up in his bedroom and wait for it all to be over.

 

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he heard his phone ringing from the kitchen. He should ignore it and just fall asleep. The phone went quiet and then immediately started up again. Sighing, he walked back to the kitchen, putting a hand under his shirt to scratch at his belly. It was Ion calling and Castiel set his jaw as he answered it. “Ion, about yesterday….”

 

“Great news, Castiel! I don’t know who your boyfriend is or how that photo of you and him has gone viral, but I don’t care. Your books are flying off the shelves. They’ve all been sold out and we have to print more.”

 

Castiel quirked an eyebrow. Well, that was the silver lining then. “That’s great, Ion. I’m glad my suffering and embarrassment is of some value.”

 

Ion either ignored him or didn’t hear him. “This is the perfect time to get a new book published. I want you to start today. I don’t care what you write about. It can be autobiographical or the story of how you met….” There was the shuffling of papers in the pause. “…Dean. That’s his name right?”

 

Castiel growled under his breath, “Listen for a minute, Ion. I met him for the first time last night, I slipped and he caught me before I fell. That’s it.”

 

There was silence on the other end of the line. “Well, find him. I have a photography session booked with the two of you to promote your new book. It’s in two days time Castiel. Don’t disappoint me.”

      

With that, the call ended and Castiel was left staring at the screen of his phone. What did Ion expect him to do exactly? Magically find this ‘Dean’ and ask him to pretend to be his boyfriend or at least do a photo shoot together? And that wasn’t even considering the fact that he was supposed to be working on a new book. Castiel groaned and headed for the bathroom, throwing his phone onto the counter with a clatter, not caring if it broke.

 

He got himself showered and dressed, feet dragging the whole time. The very least he could do was go to the street where he met Dean, maybe even wander around the grocery store. That settled, Castiel was heading for the front door, shrugging on a woolen black coat to fight the winter chill, when he paused. Listening carefully, he could hear people talking outside his door. Castiel rolled his eyes and wandered over to his window at the other side of his townhouse. The paparazzi were still there after all.

      

Sliding open the window, Castiel swung his leg over the frame and half-stumbled, half-stepped out into the withered rose bushes. He swallowed a curse at the cut on his hand but he moved quickly and crossed the road. The street wasn’t busy with cars today, except for the vans belonging to the camera crews. As he walked to the grocery store, he could see five reporters and two cameramen camped outside his door with cups of coffee.

 

“Persistent,” he bit out as he tucked up the collar of his coat. He did not want to rely on sneaking in and out of his house through his window. Castiel walked along the road, soon coming to the place where he nearly fell the night before. He turned on his heel looking around the busy little plaza. There were benches facing a tall water sculpture—an angel leaning down to pour a never-ending stream of water into the pool at his feet. Castiel sat down on one of the benches, snuggling down into his coat as he listened to the water. It wasn’t cold enough for the water to freeze yet, but the fountain would be turned off in a few weeks.

      

He sat there for an hour, simply watching people walk by. Every time a tall man with short hair walked by he perked up, thinking for one moment that it was ‘Dean’. It was a bitter mixture of relief and disappointment each time. He needed to find Dean and explain the situation to him but even after his time sitting in peace, what would he say to him? ‘Hello, I’m the stranger that nearly fell on his ass and now people think we’re in a relationship. Want to do a photo shoot?’

 

Castiel got off the wooden bench and headed for the grocery store. He didn’t want to put a stranger through any extra trouble. Castiel walked through the sliding doors of the grocery store and picked up a green basket through instinct. He found himself wandering into the baking aisle, looking for new ingredients. Just as he picked up a small jar of saffron only to sigh forlornly at the price tag, he saw him. Castiel stiffened and turned to face Dean. Castiel never thought that the man would remember him, even if it only happened last night and yet when Dean noticed him staring, his eyes widened with recognition.

 

“H-hello again,” Castiel began as he felt a blush beginning to burn color his cheeks. Dean on the other hand just looked shocked, and maybe even a little scared. Castiel spoke before thinking, “I’m not stalking you. I just thought you might be here.”

 

Dean put down a bottle of vanilla essence back onto the shelf. “Why were you looking for me?”

 

Castiel stiffened. Did Dean sound angry? He didn’t know enough about the man to make such a judgment. He straightened his back and lifted his chin, annoyed that Dean was slightly taller than him. “I believe there has been a misunderstanding.”

 

Dean quirked an eyebrow at that. “What does that mean?”

 

Castiel set his jaw and pulled his phone out of his pocket and he found the same Tumblr post as before. He showed the screen to Dean, expression blank, though inside Castiel was desperately trying to hold himself together. “Someone took a photo of us last night. It’s gone viral.”

 

Dean took the phone from him and stared at the photo. “Shit.”

 

Castiel swallowed the sigh of disappointment that was at the back of his throat. He expected this. They were just strangers. Even if Dean was exceptionally good looking, and from his reaction he probably wouldn’t agree to do the photo shoot like Ion wanted. “This is why I came to see you, I thought you should know.” Dean nodded and passed back the phone, looking pale. Castiel ignored that, though he may as well make this as quick as possible. “I’m an author and-“

 

Dean smiled and Castiel hated that he looked so good when he did that, especially when he had no chance with him. “Yeah, I know.”

      

Castiel tilted his head to the side, “Who’s the stalker now?” He immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. Why did he say that?

 

But Dean laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I recognized you on the street last night. I wasn’t going to go up to you or anything. You probably get that a lot.”

 

Castiel shook his head, “I’ve not published anything recently and my last best seller was years ago.”

      

Dean shrugged, “You’ll have another one. Don’t worry.”

      

Castiel sighed, “Hopefully. But because of that photo, my editor thinks we’re partners and has arranged for a photo shoot with the both of us. I don’t expect you to agree to it.”

 

Castiel watched Dean carefully as he rolled his lower lip between his teeth. “Maybe.”

    

Castiel’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, he had expected a flat out no. “Why do you want to help me?”

 

“Well, like I said I’m a fan of your work and you’d be in trouble otherwise right? The damage is done now anyway. Looks like that photo is popular online. But I gotta think about it.”

 

Castiel glanced at the vanilla essence Dean had been holding. “I can handle it.” He murmured as he looked back to Dean. The expression Dean was wearing was strange and Castiel couldn’t quite understand it. “I’ll give you my number. You don’t have to do this, you know,” Castiel added, hopeful that he might have a chance with this handsome guy after all.

 

Dean reached into his pocket and got out a pen and a crumpled receipt and passed it to Castiel. Castiel pressed it against a bag of flour as he wrote onto it his number. “Thank you though. You are being very calm about this. Doesn’t it bother you that people think you’re gay?”

 

Dean let out a bark of laughter, “All my friends know that already. Don’t sweat it, Castiel. Oh, my name’s Dean, by the way.”

 

Castiel nodded as though he didn’t already know. “Thank you, Dean.” He said as he passed him back the paper. “You enjoy baking?” Castiel asked as he glanced at the items in Dean’s grocery basket: eggs, cocoa powder, cinnamon and flour.

 

Dean nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I find it really relaxing.”

 

Castiel found himself smiling, but what the Hell was he doing flirting with this guy in the middle of the grocery store? Did he really want to screw up this guy’s life up anymore after that photo? “I’m quite good at it. I have a chocolate fudge brownie recipe that is amazing.”

 

Dean smirked at that, putting the vanilla essence into Castiel’s basket. “Well, you’ll be needing this then. You should show me some time.” Dean said with a cheeky smirk before he walked away. Castiel’s eyes followed him until he disappeared behind a display of stacked tins.

 

Castiel didn’t hesitate in picking out a bag of high-grade flour. He’d have to practice to make sure his brownies would be perfect.

 

When Castiel got home, he had two bags full of grocery despite the fact that the pantry was full. He looked across the road and sighed with relief that the press had decided to leave. Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, he went inside. Archie ran over immediately, the little bell on his neck ringing. Castiel stepped around him to head into the kitchen and the cat followed him through.

      

“Be good this time. I even bought you something to bribe you.” Out of one of the bags he got out a tin of Fancy Feast, which he popped open and poured into Archie’s bowl.

 

Now he had the kitchen to himself. Castiel shrugged off his coat and put it over the back of the chair and rolled up the sleeves of his white button up shirt. He began to hum as he moved around the kitchen, preheating the oven and getting out a mixing bowl. He turned on the radio and began to sing along to a song, only knowing half of the words of the trending pop song. 

      

In a way, it was annoying that he was in such a good mood. But Dean hadn’t shouted at him or broken down scared at the whole thing. But he hadn’t look pleased to know that his photo was online and highly popular, now that Castiel looked back on it. Castiel shrugged and broke a couple of eggs into the bowl. It wasn’t like it was his fault someone took a picture.

 

Castiel put those thoughts away and concentrated on making the brownie batter. Soon, he was pouring the thick brown liquid into the baking tray and he moaned at the smell of chocolate and vanilla. He brought the bowl up to his lips and began to lick the brim.

      

His phone beeped and he glanced down at the new text message. Hurriedly putting down the bowl, he read the message from Dean.

 

_So, I’ve thought about it and I’ll do the photo shoot. On the condition that I get to try those brownies you seem so proud of._

 

Castiel scoffed and wiped his fingers over his lips to try and hide his smile from the phone. He quickly typed out a response.

 

_I just put a batch in the oven._

 

Castiel’s thumb hovered over the send button. Dean seemed like a nice guy, he was handsome and it wouldn’t hurt to get to know him. Castiel hit the send button and then immediately put the phone down. He distracted himself for a moment by putting the batter into the oven. He stared at the screen on the counter top, surrounded by a dusting of flour. Maybe he had been too forward. He never knew what to say when it came to dating and flirting. He didn’t have to wait long before he got a response back.

 

_Good timing. You can send me your address and I’ll be right over. Want me to bring anything?_

 

Castiel couldn’t help but grin as he wrote his response. _Not necessary. 401 Silver Street. Hope you aren’t allergic to cats._         

But this was moving fast, wasn’t it? He was inviting a strange man to his house to have brownies. He wasn’t complaining, far from it. He needed more friends and if Dean turned out to be something more—well, what was the harm?

 

_Be right over._

 

Castiel resisted replying again, he didn’t want to seem too eager. He changed the radio station to songs that were slower and then he began to clean up the mess he made in the kitchen. Just as he was rinsing out the cloth in his sink, he heard his doorbell chime. Castiel straightened and looked down at what he was wearing. Light blue jeans and a white button up shirt, rolled up to his elbows. With a sigh, he tried to wipe off a spot of chocolate from his sleeve but soon gave up and headed to the door.

When he opened it, it wasn’t Dean. It was a man Castiel had never met before. Perhaps he was a journalist from this morning. Castiel held onto the door handle. “Can I help you?”

 

The man grinned at him and he adjusted his grey tie. The man looked as though he was about to go to a funeral. He was wearing polished black shoes, a white rose in his breast pocket and a tailored black suit. He held out his hand for Castiel to shake. “My name is Brady.”

      

Castiel was just about to take the man’s hand when Brady stiffened and took his hand away. “Is there something wrong?” Castiel asked.

 

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Dean behind the man. Castiel’s eyes widened with surprise. Just like yesterday, he seemed to appear out of thin air. Brady’s face was pale as he turned around to face Dean. He raised his hands defensively as he began to walk away.

      

“I wasn’t going to do anything, honest.” Brady mumbled out before he darted away and disappeared down the street.

 

Castiel didn’t move from the open doorway. “Did you know him?”

      

Dean shook his head, “Not a clue. That was weird, huh?” Dean stepped closer and raised his nose into the air. “Damn. those brownies smell good.”

      

The thought that this was all a bad idea crawled up Castiel’s spine, but he stepped aside regardless and let Dean into the house. “They’ll be done soon. Would you like a drink?”

 

Dean followed him into the kitchen and leant his hip against the kitchen surface. “Coffee would be great if you have any.”

      

Castiel nodded and reached up into a cupboard to get out the jar of ground coffee and the box of earl grey tea for himself. He very nearly dropped the jar when he heard a sudden hiss. Castiel spun around on his heel. Archie was on the floor, staring up at Dean. His whole back was spiky little columns of white fur and his tail was bristled. Castiel frowned and put down the tea and coffee. Castiel rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m sorry, he’s never done this before.”

      

When he looked over at Dean he paused, the man was glaring at the cat like it had personally offended him. Castiel swallowed thickly and picked up Archie, who was stiff in his arms and dug his claws in. “I’ll just put him in my room.” He murmured as he scooped Archie up into his arms and walked into his bedroom.

      

Castiel put Archie down onto his patchwork quilt and shook his head. That was weird. Closing the door behind him he walked into the kitchen and Dean smiled at him pleasantly. “Sorry, I’m not a fan of cats. Guess the feeling’s mutual.”

 

Dean had turned on the kettle for him and had gotten out two mugs. Dean followed his gaze and his smile turned sheepish. “Sorry, I should have asked.”

      

Castiel shook his head, “It’s fine, Dean. I’m just surprised you managed to find the mugs so quickly.”

      

Dean shrugged, “Guess I was lucky.”

 

The timer went off for the brownies and Castiel picked up a pair of blue oven gloves and bent down to open the oven. He stared at the brownies and hummed. He paused as he was about to pull them out. Dean was right behind him and the kitchen was quiet. Was he…? Castiel glanced over his shoulder and caught Dean staring at his ass. Castiel quickly turned back around to hide his blush. So maybe the attraction wasn’t one sided after all. Castiel cleared his throat as he pulled out the brownies and set them on the counter to cool.

      

When the kettle finished boiling, Dean poured them both their drinks and pulled open a drawer to get them two teaspoons. Castiel laughed, “You’re very lucky. You got the cutlery drawer on the first try.”

 

Dean flashed him a lopsided grin as he took a sip of his coffee. “Helps with cards. I have a terrible poker face.”   Castiel didn’t care that Dean was a little weird; it was strangely comforting that he seemed to know his way around the kitchen so well. Castiel added a dash of milk and a spot of lemon to his tea. Dean watched him add the lemon, bemused.

      

Castiel hid his face by taking a sip of his tea. The silence as they drank wasn’t uncomfortable. The kitchen was warm and Castiel felt pleasantly buzzed as though he were drinking wine and not tea. When they finally began to speak, it was idle chitchat. Castiel found out that Dean was between jobs. But he wanted to try and open his own bakery.

 

“At the photo shoot, I’ll bring you a pie. Maybe you can give me some tips if your brownies are any good.” Dean said with a devilish wink.

      

Castiel huffed and set down his tea with a click of porcelain. “My brownies are excellent. As you will now find out.” Castiel began to slice into the brownies and he levered a big square of the dark chocolate creation onto a floral bone china plate for Dean.

      

Dean whistled, “Look at this. Cracked on the top and gooey in the middle. It certainly looks good.” Without waiting for another quip from Castiel, Dean picked up the warm piece and bit into it. The moan he made was nothing short of pornographic.

 

“Damn, you have to give me this recipe if I open up my bakery.” Castiel blushed but didn’t say anything as he bit into his own brownie.

 

 

Chapter 2 – Flour

The next morning Castiel wandered into the kitchen again for his morning ritual of coffee and breakfast. His hand passed over the pad of paper to turn on the kettle. But this time, instead of the blank pages filling him with dread, he hummed with thought. He picked up the plastic pen and began to scribble down an idea. A novel interspersed with his own recipes. The first chapter would start with a recipe for brownies. Still, he had no idea what the story would be about but the mood and theme of it was starting to come to him as he wrote down his recipe.

 

As he finished writing in his neat flowing script, the kettle whistled on the gas stove. He poured himself his coffee and walked down the corridor to the living room to part the curtains slightly. At his front door there was a reporter, a cameraman and also Brady from yesterday. Brady seemed to notice him moving the thick eggshell blue curtain and he smiled at Castiel and gave him a wave.

    

Castiel immediately drew the curtain back and stepped away. Every time he saw Brady a shiver crawled down his spine. Then, he heard a knock coming from the window on his right that was nestled between two tall bookcases. He turned and Brady was there, standing in the rose bushes.

 

He put his coffee down on the living room table and went to the window. “Can I help you?”

 

Brady laughed at that. “You certainly can, just let me in.”

 

On instinct, he went to go to the front door, but paused and turned back to the window. “Tell me what this is about first.”

 

Brady rested his elbow against the wooden sill, his cheeks were red from the cold. He was wearing the same somber outfit as yesterday, though there was a red rose in his breast pocket this time instead of a white one. “It’s about the photo, of course. The one of you and Dean that has gone viral.”

 

“Do you know Dean?” Castiel asked curiously.

 

Brady waved a hand through the air as he scoffed. “Hardly, I’m just a reporter like the others.”

 

It suddenly struck Castiel that he had never come across as a reporter. After all, where was his pen and paper, his recording device? “Why is the photo so interesting anyway? I don’t understand why it’s so popular.”

 

Brady shrugged. “There is something about the photo that people like. Some have said that it’s the first photo that was able to catch love at first sight. But I don’t think such a thing exists, do you?”

 

Castiel glanced over at his books. How many of them had started in such a way? Where the protagonist had fallen in love when they first set sights on the one made especially for them. He wanted to believe it but as he had stumbled through a handful of bad relationships, he was hardened to the concept. “Maybe,” Castiel said.

 

“So can I come in now? All I want is the exclusive scoop. Plus, I’m sure your publisher would appreciate the extra publicity.”

 

“Dean and I aren’t in a relationship. That’s all there is to it.” Without another word, Castiel tugged the string by the widow and let the fabric blinds tumble down. Brady was still creepy and he wasn’t interested in being drilled for information that simply didn’t exist. He heard Brady shout and then there was a thump against the window. Castiel watched it, heart in his throat, wondering if Brady would break in. Archie didn’t seem to mind either way as he purred on the arm of his cream couch. But there were no more sounds and Castiel breathed out a relieved sigh and picked up his coffee again.

 

Later that day, Castiel was settled on the couch and he was chewing the top of his pen as he stared down at the spider web of ideas that he was considering. In the past he had written a book of poems, a story about fallen stars and his most recent and successful book had been a historical fantasy mix about discovering the new world. But that was over four years ago now. People were getting impatient and his bank balance was starting to dry up as consumers forgot his name and stopped buying his books. The ideas in his web ranged from a self-help book to a fantasy novel about a chef.

 

His phone rang and gave him blessed relief. Reaching across to the coffee table he picked it up and answered the call without seeing who it was.

 

“Hey Cas.”

 

He stiffened and took the phone away from his ear, the screen read ‘Dean’. Castiel put it back to his ear.

 

“You don’t mind me calling you Cas, right?” came Dean’s voice. Now that he couldn’t concentrate on Dean’s face, Castiel could hear a hint of a southern twang in Dean’s voice. “Not at all. Are you having second thoughts about the photo shoot?”

 

Castiel heard Dean scoff. “My brother thinks it’s a bad idea but the damage is done. I was calling to ask if that guy turned up again?”

 

“Who?” Castiel licked his lips and then remembered the way Dean had glared at Brady when he had been at the front door yesterday. “Brady? He was here a few hours ago. Came to the window to ask me questions.”

 

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Dean spoke again, his voice seemed cold. “Did you let him in?”

 

It took Castiel by surprise, Dean had always sounded warm and welcoming before. Not that he knew the man very well of course, he reminded himself. “N-No. I didn’t.”

 

“Good. Are you writing today?”

 

“I’m brainstorming, I can’t seem to settle on an idea,” Castiel said with a hint of wariness. He knew Dean was a fan, but he was usually very private about his ideas when they were fresh and needed refining. Not even Anna, whom he loved and could talk to about almost anything, wasn’t privileged with discussions about possible book ideas.

 

“Need some help? I’ve got nothing better to do today.”

 

Castiel hesitated but then found himself speaking though he wasn’t sure what he was going to say, “Sure, that would be great.” He cringed and squeezed his eyes shut when he heard those words leave his lips.

 

He could almost hear Dean’s smile over the line when he spoke, “I’ll be right over.”

 

The call finished and Castiel put his cell phone down. He stared at his notepad of scribbles and his idea seeds. He suddenly felt silly. There weren’t even storylines or plots, just random words that he had tried to stick together. Castiel’s heart skipped a beat as he turned over the page of his notebook and tried to think of something more solid to show Dean. He drew a bubble in the centre and stared at it.

 

He jumped when the doorbell rang. Castiel looked over his shoulder at the hallway, then back to his paper. How was Dean always so quick getting here? He must live nearby, he reasoned.

    

Castiel got up and opened the door. Today, Dean was wearing a green Henley that hugged his frame and faded blue jeans. He toed off his brown boots at the door and then padded into the living room in his thick white socks. Rushing over, Castiel picked up his paper as that familiar insecurity about his writing reared up again.

 

Dean relaxed into the sofa and smiled up at him. Patting the couch cushion next to him Dean added, “I won’t bite, c’mon. I’m here to help, remember?”

 

Pouting, Castiel sat down next to Dean and passed him his notes. “They’re just ideas. I might not pick any of them.”

 

Dean’s fingers traced the indents of ink and his freckled fingertip circled the thought bubble in the middle that had been the genesis for all of the other offshoots. “Recipes?”

 

Brightening a little at Dean’s curious tone, Castiel began to open up. “I thought about writing a book--not a cookbook, but a novel with recipes inserted into it. I think that food brings people together, it’s something everyone has in common. But no one’s the same. We all have different preferences and memories about certain foods.” Castiel looked down at his hands that were clasped together in his lap. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop rambling.”

 

Dean nudged him with his shoulder. “No, I get it. Food is powerful. I really like the idea.”

 

Castiel went quiet but felt a pleased little buzz as Dean began to read the plots for his novels. “What’s this one, about angels? Sounds kinda similar to your book about fallen stars.”

 

Staring at the thought bubble, Castiel spoke. “Well, that was dystopian. This one would be happier. I just seemed drawn to the idea.”

 

Dean shrugged and gestured to another and Castiel began to explain that idea too.

 

Soon two hours had passed and Castiel licked his dry lips. They had gotten so carried away in trying to decide on one of the ideas that time had run away from them. Castiel got up and stretched out his back with a click. “Want something to drink?”

 

Standing up with him, Dean shook his head. “I’ll get the drinks. I think you’re on to something with that third idea.”

 

Castiel sat back down but instead of picking up his notebook he watched Dean. It was odd, more than odd, that Dean knew where things had been in the kitchen the last time he was here. But would he be so ‘lucky’ this time, Castiel thought as he concentrated on Dean.

 

Dean went into the kitchen and turned on the gas under the kettle, then he reached up to the cupboard to grab two mugs. From the lower shelf he got out the coffee and tea. Castiel could accept that as normal, Dean had seen him prepare drinks last time. But then, Dean turned around and opened a low cupboard, picking out a box of cookies. He moved through the kitchen like he knew it intimately and he opened yet another cupboard full of small plates. Humming happily, Dean seemed happy and familiar in Castiel's home. Castiel stood up and walked to the breakfast bar, making sure it was between them.

 

“How are you so familiar with my kitchen? And you were far too quick to agree coming to a complete stranger’s house when we first met, weren’t you?” Laying his hands on the table he stared at Dean, as he tried to ignore the nervous butterflies in his belly. “Are you a stalker?”

 

Slowly, Dean put down the box of cookies he had been opening and stared at him. He looked hurt as his green eyes widened and it made Castiel feel like an asshole, but he needed answers.

 

The kettle began to whistle and steam behind Dean as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “I guess I am? But it’s not what you think,” Dean quickly corrected, hands raised defensively in front of himself.

 

A hollow feeling suddenly filled his chest. “You need to leave. I’m sorry.”

    

He didn’t feel angry or threatened, he just felt disappointed and maybe even a little sad. He had liked Dean and Dean had seemed to like him in return. It felt like a long time since he had such a mutual friendship. And deep down, Castiel could admit that maybe he had hoped for more with time.

 

Shaking his head, Dean looked at him imploringly. “I’m sorry. Please, just trust me okay?”

 

With a narrowing of his eyes Castiel, spoke, “Please, just leave Dean. I can’t trust you.”

 

Dean let out a frustrated sigh and he heard him swear under his breath. “Will you hear me out then? I’m not supposed to tell you this.”

 

The phone in Castiel's pocket brushed his fingers as he reached for it. He really didn’t want to have to call the cops. “Okay, I’ll listen.”

 

“I’m your guardian angel.”

 

Castiel let out a bark of laughter but sobered quickly when Dean stared at him seriously, his pink lips were pushed into a thin line.

 

“You’re serious? You actually believe that?” He asked but he didn’t expect an answer. Instead he got out his phone and began to dial. Dean needed professional help.

 

Dean scrubbed a hand through his short sandy brown hair. “Fuck it.”

 

All of a sudden there was a burst of light and Castiel squeezed his eyes closed, hands coming up to shield his face. After a moment, he lowered his hands and tried to blink away the dots of startling golden light from his eyes.

    

“What the…?” Had Dean thrown a light grenade? That was utterly ridiculous, why would he be carrying one around? As his vision began to clear, faint impressions of his kitchen began to materialize. And so did Dean.

 

And his wings.

They were a soft off-white color primarily, but light golden brown dots speckled the feathers. Castiel was reminded of a tawny owl.

 

There were brown and white feathers everywhere. Long ones and short fluffy ones were all over his kitchen as though someone had torn open several goose down pillows. Not only that, but somehow the tin of flour had been knocked over and there was white dust all over the kitchen.

    

Sheepishly, Dean looked around at the mess and his enormous speckled wings shifted, the tips of them brushing the floor. “Sorry, I didn’t know how else to convince you. I’ll help you clean up.”

 

Something tickled his nose and Castiel plucked a feather from it and he stared at it for a moment in disbelief before gazing at Dean’s wings. They were enormous, the tips of the arches were above Dean’s head and the long flight feathers grazed the bottoms of the walls.

 

“Holy shit.” He whispered out.

 

Dean cracked a grin and shrugged his giant wings, the left one knocking against of Castiel’s cupboards with a thud. “Thank you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 

Blood rushed through his eyes and he leaned heavily against the kitchen bench as he struggled to breathe evenly and calmly. Dean’s voice was dim in Castiel’s ears as he spoke, “Hey, you okay? Do you need a glass of water? I know this must be a shock to know that the God Squad is real.”

 

Castiel nodded and glanced up at Dean before averting his eyes again. This explained so much about how Dean always seemed to appear out of thin air, how he knew where everything was in his kitchen. Because he had been watching over him, protecting him….from what?

 

“Oh, by the way,” Dean began casually as he took out a plastic bag from under the sink and began to gather up all of his loose feathers from the kitchen. “Your cat is a lesser demon. It’s not that I don’t like cats like I said before, it’s just that angels and demons don’t exactly get along. But I guess most people know that, huh?”

 

Licking over his chapped lips Castiel thought of his cat and how he always seemed to know how to cause the most trouble. “Archie?”

 

Nodding once, Dean picked up a particularly long feather off the wooden spice rack on the wall and shoved it into the bag. “Yeah, he’s a Familiar type. Like what witches have. But in rare cases, special people like you can attract one. I wouldn’t worry about it. They can be helpful but they mostly just like to cause their owners trouble.”

 

When he looked around the kitchen he couldn't see Archie on the hard wood floors nor when he looked behind him could he see Archie lounging on the thick red Persian rug. “You won’t hurt him will you?” Castiel asked, as much as Archie annoyed him sometimes, he didn't want him to be hurt. 

 

When he glanced back at Dean, the angel tilted his head to the side and smiled fondly at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Dean huffed out a sigh, “Sam’s not going to like this.”

 

His head was spinning with all of the new information. Angels and God were real. Archie was a type of demon. Dean was his guardian angel. But he couldn’t help his curiosity, “Who’s Sam?”

 

Tying the handles of the full plastic bag together Dean put it down on the counter as he tried to pat down its rotund side. “He’s my brother. He helps me with your protection. He’s the intel and I’m the muscle. Well, that’s usually how it works.”

 

Castiel sat down on one of the tall wooden stools by the counter and began to massage his temples. One of his familiar tension headaches was coming in fast and strong. “And what are you protecting me from Dean?”

 

“Demons. Demons like Brady.”

 

He raised his head and stared at Dean again. Seeing how pale Castiel was he got out a tall glass and filled it from the tap before he slid it across the surface to him. Taking the glass without comment he drained it in several gulps. “Why?” Castiel asked, turning his wide eyes to Dean who looked at him with sympathy. “Why is this happening to me?”

 

Dean rested his elbows on the counter and his bottle green gaze met Castiel’s. But Castiel couldn’t maintain the eye contact; this was an _angel_ for crying out loud. Images of churches and old oil paintings came to mind.

 

But Dean answered him regardless, “It’s your writing. Your fate is to write a book that will change people’s lives forever. It’ll be a good thing but I don’t know what that change will be. The demons don’t want that to happen.”

 

He rolled his lower lip between his teeth. “But I’m all dried up. I don’t have any inspiration left in me.”

 

There was a warm hard squeeze to his shoulder and Castiel glanced at Dean's hand. “I know you can do it.” The angel said as his wings perked up behind him.

 

Finally, he looked up at Dean again, the angel’s face was so close that he could see that the edges of his eyelids were dusted with freckles. “You have to say that.”

 

Dean shook his head and laughed softly as he let go of Castiel. “I didn’t have to say that. My duty to you is making sure you stay alive and nothing more. You might not write the book and my duty would still be done as Heaven would see it as your failing not mine. But I don’t want to see you fail, I’ve been watching over you your whole life.”

 

Hurriedly he wiped a hand across his eyes and Dean turned around to save him from being embarrassed. “I should thank you then. That’s a long time.”

 

The sound of water being poured filled the quiet of the kitchen. “No need, Cas. Now, how about we look at those ideas again.”

 

Dean passed him his tea and Castiel smiled when their fingers brushed across the porcelain mug. “I’d like that.”

 

Steam curled across his cheeks as he brought the mug to his lips. Even though it was a lot to work through, to think that angels, god, fate and demons were all real. He was still glad that he had met Dean. Even if his heart was still pounding with fear, but he was excited too. “But first, you need to get the flour off your face,” Castiel said as he took a sip of green tea.

 

When Dean ran his fingers over his cheeks, a path was cleared through the flour that coated his skin. “Son of a bitch.”

 

 

Chapter 3 - Eggs

Dean went home a few hours after trying to help Castiel settle on an idea. It had proved to be a waste of time. None of the ideas felt right to Castiel, he couldn’t work with any of them. He’d been given strict instructions from Dean to not go outside if he didn’t have to and not to answer the door.

 

With a yawn and a stretch wandered upstairs to his bedroom. His headache hadn’t gone away yet and every time he thought about angels and God, it only became worse. But his bedroom was his sanctuary. The large bed had a memory foam mattress, there were piles of books by his bed waiting to be read. There was a window that looked out across the the street corner and under the sill was a small wooden table with flowering succulents.

 

On his bed, Archie was there watching him with a preternatural intelligence in his eyes.

 

“So, you’re a familiar huh?” Castiel asked Archie. The cat nodded and Castiel took a step back by instinct. He hadn’t really expected an answer. Archie stood up and head butted his leg with a purr. He stroked over the top of his head and then tickled Archie's fluffy chin. “Don’t worry, Dean promised not to hurt you.”

 

Archie chirruped and then gave Castiel a love bite on his thumb.

 

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door and he stiffened. Dean had told him to not answer the door. He should stay here in his bedroom and have an early night’s sleep in his king sized bed. But then he heard his name.

     

“Cas! C’mon, you never answered my text.” He breathed out a relieved sigh and walked down the stairs again to the front door. When he opened it, Anna was there smiling at him. Her hair was as fiery as ever and her pale skin was perfectly complemented by her purple herringbone coat and white scarf. Anna crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Castiel but there was no true heat behind it. “So, what’s your excuse? I saw that photo of you and your stunning boyfriend online and I don’t get a message from you in days?”

 

It proved almost too hard to withhold a heavy sigh, but somehow he managed it. “Dean isn’t my boyfriend.”

 

Scoffing at him, Anna rolled her eyes. “You can tell me all about Dean later over dinner.”

 

There was a pregnant pause before Castiel dared to ask. “Dinner?”

 

She nodded and shouldered her way past Castiel. “Yes, dinner. Go and get changed.”

 

Castiel dragged himself back up to his bedroom, taking the wooden curling staircase to his room one slow step at a time. He strode over to his freestanding wardrobe and pulled out a pair of tailored slacks and a simple blue pinstriped dress shirt. Knowing Anna, she would take him somewhere expensive. Castiel quickly changed into his new clothes and buttoned up his shirt as he walked down stairs.

    

“Acceptable enough?” He asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs and spread his arms for inspection.

 

With a long hum, Anna put a finger to her lip and then smiled brightly. “Absolutely, you look very handsome. Come on.” Anna walked away and opened the door, letting in the winter chill and Castiel quickly scooped up his wallet and keys from the glass dish by the front door as well as his woolen coat off the hook.

 

The nights were getting colder and within a few minutes Castiel felt the breeze biting color into his cheeks.

 

“The place isn’t too far away.” Anna added as she walked close to Castiel.

 

He simple nodded and licked over his chapped lips. Dean had also told him not to venture outside but he had managed just fine for years, what had changed now? They arrived at the restaurant without fuss and Castiel had been right, from the outside it did look expensive. Ivy crawled up the red brick building and when they walked in a porter took their coats. Anna gave the host their surname, Milton, and as the host flicked through the reservations, Castiel looked around.

 

The lighting was dim, the golden light emanated from the candles floating in glass bowls on the tables and electric faux candelabra on the pale gold walls. There was a general hum of quiet conversation and a pianist played subdued but melodic music in the corner. Anna tapped his shoulder to get his attention as the host looked at him expectantly. Trying his best to smile Castiel followed Anna as they were led to their table by one of the windows. A waiter pulled out his chair and Castiel thanked him as he sat down.

 

When the waiters were gone, Castiel glared at Anna across the table. “You know I would much prefer a burger and a good cake from a patisserie.”

 

She laughed at him and picked up her menu. “What good is me being a lawyer if I don’t drag you to expensive places every now and again?”

 

Ignoring her, Castiel opened his menu. But he hardly had time to get through it when Anna spoke again. “So, tell me about Dean?”

 

His first thought about Dean was that he was his guardian angel, followed by the fact that he was astonishingly good looking. But instead he settled on something else. “He’s between jobs and wants to open a bakery.”

 

The smile Anna shone him was radiant but it rubbed Castiel the wrong way. Anna was happy for him but the relationship simply didn't exist, though Castiel would have liked it if it did. “You already sound perfect for each other. I know how much you love baking. Have you given him your brownies yet?”

 

He stared at the filet mignon option as he answered. “Yes, but like I said, that photo was a misunderstanding.”

 

With a snap, Anna closed her menu then laid it down on the table. “It’s so obvious from just that photo. I can’t explain it but looking at it made me happy. I know you’re my brother but that photo really was something else. Other people obviously felt it too, I even saw it on the news.”

 

Raising an eyebrow he watched Anna over the top of the leather bound menu. “On the news?”

 

She nodded. “Absolutely. They were saying all sorts of things about how homosexuality is the work of Satan, but it _was_ CNN after all.”

 

Castiel tried his best to hide his laugh at how ironic that was. If Heaven really disapproved of his sexuality, he doubted they would have sent him an angel that looked like a male model.

 

The rest of the evening passed quickly, with Anna talking about her current cases and interrogating Castiel about Dean. Though at the end of it, Anna seemed a little disappointed. “You really should get to know Dean more, Cas. Maybe have coffee with him after the photo shoot?”

 

Castiel popped a spoonful of lavender crème brûlée into his mouth and hummed. “Maybe.”

    

Anna ordered the cheque and they were soon walking out. Anna took his hands outside the restaurant before they were to part ways. “And good luck with your new book, Castiel. I know you’ll find a story you want to write about.”

 

Without realizing it, he smirked proudly, “Dean said the same thing.”

 

Anna’s pale blue eyes glimmered with mirth. “Reply to my messages next time, okay?”

 

“I will, thank you for dinner.”

 

Anna waked away and after a few meters down the road she spun around to give Castiel another wave. Castiel knew she would do that, so he hadn’t moved and waved back. Then, with a sigh he pivoted on his heel and made his way home. It was quiet as it was getting late and this part of the city didn’t have nightclubs or bars.  The night was peaceful and the good food and chat with Anna had left him feeling buzzed.

 

He spotted two men in the corner of his eye but he ignored them as he crossed the road and kept on walking. But when he heard footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder he realized that he was being followed. Castiel squinted in the dark and saw the bright red spot of a rose on one man’s chest. Castiel’s eyes widened, it was Brady.

 

Oh god, he had been stupid letting Anna drag him out of the house. Castiel dug the phone out of his pocket as he tried to maintain a casual pace. If they were really were demons as Dean had said, Castiel didn’t think he could outrun them. He found Dean’s contact and phoned him. As it rang, he could hear his heavy breathing being reverberated back to him on the phone.

 

“Cas? You okay?”

 

He was already shaking and he had to grip the phone hard so that he wouldn’t drop it. “I’m being followed by two men. One of them is Brady.”

 

Dean spat out something in a strange language that made the phone crackle in his ear. “I’ll be right there. Sam hadn’t sensed any demons around you, they must be cloaking themselves.”

 

With a huff, Castiel tried to aim for annoyed rather than how terrified he actually was, “Just come?”

 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

 

The line went dead and as Castiel put his phone back into his pocket, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Stiffly, he turned to stare into Brady’s ice blue eyes. “Castiel, I still want that interview. Why don’t you come with us?”

 

Brady’s companion’s lips split into a grin that had Castiel shuddering with trepidation. He was also wearing a suit but even in the cold weather he wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a plain white dress shirt.

 

“I told you before,” He was proud that his voice didn’t tremble, “I’m not interested in giving you an interview.” If he played along, perhaps he would buy more time.

 

But Brady’s hand tightened on his shoulder, “This would be much easier if you just agreed.”

 

There was a whoosh of air and Castiel gazed past Brady. Dean was there, along with a taller man with broad shoulders and long hair. Whoever he was, he smiled at Castiel reassuringly.

 

“What would be easier?” Dean asked as he stepped forward. Castiel’s lips parted with surprise when he saw a black film descend over Brady’s and his companion’s eyes. Brady let go of him as he went up to Dean and his companion. Maybe this was Dean’s brother?

 

Dean suddenly appeared at Castiel’s side and he took his hand and he began to run, pulling Castiel along with him. “C’mon, we’re doing a dash and grab. The other demon is Alastair and it’d be best we didn’t get into a fight with him. Sam’s going to hold them off.”

 

Castiel glanced over his shoulder as he was tugged along by Dean, Sam was staring the two demon’s down, and in his hand he held a gleaming silver sword.

 

Their footsteps pounded along the sidewalk and in a few minutes Castiel was panting, His lungs and throat were burning with the cool night air, but Dean didn’t slow down, even as he dashed around a garbage bin that had been tipped over. Castiel licked over his lips and he struggled to swallow, “Dean, is it safe to slow down now?”

 

All of a sudden, Dean stopped and Castiel nearly crashed into his side but he was caught him by his shoulders. “I’m sorry Cas.” Dean looked around them and then pointed to a black wrought iron arch, the top of which formed the word ‘Park’. Beyond it were tall trees and the area was darker, with only a few ground lights to illuminate withered branches and tree trunks. “We’ll hide in the park for a bit whilst you rest.” Dean stroked a hand over Castiel’s cheek, his thumb following the curve of his cheekbone. “Sorry ‘bout that, just needed to make sure you’re safe.”

 

With a blush, Castiel took a step back but didn’t let go of Dean’s hand. He was led into the park and he stuck close to Dean’s side, so that their shoulders brushed occasionally. After a while, they came to a park bench and Dean sat down and pulled Castiel down beside him.

 

“Why did you go out?” Dean didn’t sound angry, merely curious.

 

But Castiel scowled at Dean, though he was more annoyed at himself. He knew nothing about this strange new world of angels and demons he had been thrust into, yet he had ignored his Guardian Angel’s wishes. “My sister took me out for dinner. She wanted to know more about you as she saw the photo online.”

 

Dean hummed, “Did she know you were gay?”

 

Nodding, Castiel continued, “Yes, though I hadn’t come out ‘officially’.” At the last word he used air quotes and a roll of his eyes. “It’s not like I’ve dated anyone in a while.”

 

With a cheeky smirk, Dean glanced at him from the corner of his eye, “I know.”

Suddenly, the chords of Metallica broke the tranquility of the night and Castiel watched as Dean took his phone out of his pocket. Dean listened for a long while, then murmured a few words and finished the call.

 

“It’s a little strange to see a messenger of God on a cell phone.” Castiel remarked with a shy smile.

 

Huffing out a breath, Dean turned to him, “Sam took care of them but there might be other demons around. He’s still not sure how they cloaked themselves.” Standing, Dean held out a hand for him and he took it, letting himself be pulled up onto his feet.

 

“Let’s get you home.” Walking along, Castiel made sure to stay close. He gazed around at the park as he realized he had never been here at night. The little lights in the grass were like fallen stars on a dark green carpet, the trees were tall and blocked out the view of the buildings around them, and on the air Castiel could smell damp leaves. He was broken from his thoughts when he heard Dean clear his throat.

 

The angel paused, his boot playing with one of pebbles that had come loose from the border that edged the path. “Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?” His voice was full of hesitancy and Castiel found himself agreeing immediately as he found that he didn’t like it when Dean sounded so unsure of himself.

 

“Sure.”

 

Maybe it was a bad idea or maybe Dean was asking for something else, but Castiel had the feeling that Dean would be a lot more blunt about it.

 

Dean’s canine pressed into the skin of his lip, “I don’t need to sleep tonight. I’ll watch over you.”

 

“That really isn’t necessary,” He replied as he quickly began to walk, blood rising to his cheeks. As they made their way further into the park, looking for an exit that was close to Castiel’s home, he began to hear something. It was a soft sound that wound its way through the dark and found their ears, it was sweet and high pitched.

 

“Is that a violin?”

 

Shrugging, Dean hooked his arm around Castiel’s back and when he tried to tug himself free as embarrassment gripped him, Dean just tightened his hold. “Let’s find out,” the angel said.

 

The path began to curve and the music grew louder. But Castiel couldn’t concentrate on that. This close to Dean he could smell cinnamon and leather, whiskey and vanilla on his leather jacket. He swallowed hard and dared to look at the side of Dean’s face. The angel seemed to know he was looking and he laughed softly, “What? You were cold weren’t you?”

 

Castiel lied, “Yes.”

 

Then the path widened out as they found the centre of the park. An old man playing a violin stood under a tree that was festooned with white fairy lights. He didn’t stop playing as he glanced at Dean and Castiel. Out of all of the trees in the park, this one was the only that retained its leaves.

 

But then, Dean let go of him and stepped back. When Castiel turned to look at him he was smiling softly and he held out his hand. “Dance with me?”

 

Hesitantly, Castiel gave Dean his hand and he was immediately pulled in close to Dean’s chest. Castiel averted his gaze and stared at the trunk of the tree. “I don’t know how to dance.”

 

With a laugh, Dean took a step back and spun Castiel around in a circle, completely ignoring the rhythm of the violin. “Neither do I. I’ve never danced with someone before but I’ve always wanted to try.”

 

Dean stepped in close and then stepped out again and Castiel laughed and shook his head, all thoughts of being chased by demons long gone. All he could think about was Dean and his smile as the angel spun him around and held tight onto his hand. Neither of them were good dancers it proved, every so often they stepped on each other’s feet, they spun around wildly in the night without care.

 

When the song began to end, Dean drew Castiel in one last time, tugging him hard so Castiel fell against his chest. They stared at each other before Dean began to slowly move. Castiel’s heart was in his throat, Dean was an angel, this might never work. But he closed his eyes and closed the gap between their lips. It was a chaste kiss at first and then Dean parted his lips over Castiel’s top lip and lightly nipped it. Castiel shivered and Dean kissed him again, as sweet and tender as the first. As Dean pulled back from him, Castiel opened his eyes again.

 

“Ready to go home?” Dean asked and Castiel shook his head in response, “No, but we should.”

 

This time, Castiel hooked his arm around Dean’s and he didn’t blush. It felt good being with Dean, why should he fight it? It didn’t matter that he was a man (he had come to terms with his sexuality years ago) and it didn’t matter that he was an angel. Not to him anyway.

 

They walked back to Castiel’s townhouse slowly. The streets were quiet and all but abandoned. When they reached the front door of the house, Castiel sighed as his porch light didn’t come on. He’d have to struggle finding the keyhole.

 

There was the jangle of metal and in the corner of Castiel’s eye he saw a soft golden light. In the palm of Dean’s hand was what appeared to be a key ring, as it had several silver and black keys hanging off it. But the ring in the middle was beautiful and it shone so softly and tenderly. “What…what is that?” He could hear the awe in his own voice.

 

Dean grinned at him, “It’s my halo. Makes a great key ring and it’s a handy light too.”

 

Eyes widening Castiel stared at Dean in disbelief, “Sh-shouldn’t you take better care of it? Keep it safe?”

 

Dean hummed with thought, “Halos are overrated. I prefer my car. C’mon, let’s get inside.”

 

Castiel had the feeling that even amongst other angels, Dean was very strange. He found the keyhole without a problem thanks to the light of the halo and walked inside. In the corridor waiting for them was Archie and Dean gave the cat a little wave. “Heya Acheri.”

 

The cat let out a sigh and turned around, tail wagging petulantly behind it as he disappeared down the corridor. Faintly, Castiel could hear the cat padding up the stairs to his bedroom.

 

“Acheri?” He asked as he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the hook by the door.

 

“Yeah, that’s his true name. You got pretty close when you named him. You must have a strong bond with him.”

 

When Castiel walked to the bottom of his stairs, he hesitated. But Dean was already heading to the sofa. “Are you sure you’ll be okay down here?”

 

Flashing him a thumbs up, Dean kicked off his shoes as he walked to the couch and then he collapsed down onto it. “I am, unless you’re offering to share your bed.”

 

The silence made Dean’s brow corrugate with confusion and he turned around and peered over the back of the cushion. “Are you offering to share your bed?” He said with a playful lopsided smirk.

 

Castiel forced himself to appear casual as he shrugged, “Good night Dean. Tomorrow is the photo shoot, so you should try and get some sleep….if angels even need it.”

 

He heard Dean shout out at him, “Just a little!”

 

Without Dean watching him, he could smile and allow himself to trace a hand over his chest so that he could feel his heart pattering like a bird trapped in a cage. He always knew he had been a bit of a romantic fool, always hoping that the next guy that came along would be the one that would sweep him off his feet. But Dean had caught him before he fell.

 

Castiel dreamt that night.  
  
It was fuzzy and unfocussed - full of golden light. He was in his grandmother Naomi’s kitchen. The smell of cocoa and vanilla was thick on the air and he could almost taste the brownie batter. As he went to his grandmother’s side, she smiled at him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. As she folded the mix with one hand she gestured to the eggs. “Crack them in for me.” Castiel did as he was told and took one of the white eggs, cracking it against the side of the white porcelain bowl before pulling the shell apart above the batter. When he turned to put the eggshells in the bin, Dean was there and he could see his wings again. They filled up his grandmother’s tiny kitchen.

 

“I taught her that recipe you know. When you gave me those brownies the other day, it really took me back.”

 

Castiel gaped at Dean. “You’re really here aren’t you? In my dream?”

 

Giving Castiel a grin Dean took the eggshells from him and they turned into white sand in his hand. “Sure am, this is your wake up call.”

 

The dream began to fade and the last thing Castiel saw were Dean’s wings as he pivoted on his heel and walked into the mist.

 

  
 

Chapter 4 - Chocolate

 Castiel stared at the sliding glass doors with trepidation. Standing next to him was Dean, who was so close that their shoulders were pressed together.

 

“Why are you so nervous Cas? It’s just a photo shoot and I’ll be right here doing it with you.”

 

He sighed and rolled his shoulders. “It’s just…” Just that he wouldn’t be faking the romantic tones of the photo shoot and he was starting to think that Dean was feeling the same thing. Both of those things made him nervous and excited. Not to mention that there would be people watching and documenting how he felt about Dean.

 

Castiel turned to look at Dean and wondered if angels could read minds, after all, Dean could enter his dreams. But when Castiel didn’t continue, Dean took his hand and pulled them both through the glass doors. The place was immaculate and chic, with stark white surfaces, frosted glass and stainless steel finishes. When they approached the curved reception desk, the blond man looked up at them with a perfect smile. “Hello, how can I help you?” But then, he narrowed his eyes and then his lips parted with a gasp. “It’s you two! Castiel and…Dmitry?”

 

Dean huffed out a breath, “Dean.”

 

The receptionist flashed him a smile, “Right, sorry about that. Prep for the photo shoot is through the doors to the left.”

 

Swallowing hard, Castiel wandered over to the frosted glass doors and pushed through them. He never liked this part about being an author – the publicity, the marketing. He understood it was necessary and he couldn’t imagine himself being anything else but a writer. But it still sent butterflies fluttering through his belly when he though of all of these people pampering him like a dog about to go on show, where thousands of eyes would be on him afterwards. He jumped as he felt soft warm lips brush his tanned cheek.

 

As Castiel turned to face him, Dean frowned. “Why do you always look so surprised?”

 

Castiel let out a huff of breath, “We’ve only known each other for a few days.” He didn’t believe in love at first sight, he’d told Brady that much. But he couldn’t ignore the way his heart leapt in his chest when he looked at Dean and thought about him.

 

There was a pause and in it Dean bit his bottom lip and he worried it with his teeth for a moment before letting it go. “I’ve known you for your whole life.”  
  
Castiel parted his lips to reply but didn’t get a chance to say anything when a woman with bright pink curling hair approached them. She raked her gaze over them and then sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m Meg. I’ll be in charge of your prep. Follow me.”

 

They were led through a series of white corridors, until finally another young man appeared from a side door and Meg turned to Dean. “Go with him.”

 

With a shrug, Dean did as asked and disappeared into the room. Meg led Castiel to another room and he stopped in the doorway as Meg went inside. There were racks of expensive designer clothing, Castiel could see their swing tags still on. On the wall was a big mirror with a series of old bulbs around it and in front of it was every kind of makeup Castiel had ever seen, but some of it he had no idea what it was for.

 

Meg began to take off clothes from the rack, laying them over her arm. Castiel closed the door and stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, watching her and at a complete loss at what to do. Suddenly, Meg turned to look at him, “Put these on and then I’ll do your makeup and hair.”

 

Castiel swallowed a sigh and began to unbutton his shirt. Today was going to be a long day.

 

It was only forty minutes but it felt like much longer. His hair felt stiff with gel and Meg had made it spiky and ruffled. His outfit was a long sleeved blue shirt that seemed a little too tight to him but Meg had insisted that it would show off his physique and they had the same conversation about the skinny black jeans he was wearing.

 

He was led into a plain white room with bright lights and a white fabric at the back. There were adjustable lights at the side and some props; chairs, bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates. Castiel swallowed hard around the ball of anxiety in his throat. It looked as if they were going to go for a romantic photo shoot just as he suspected they would…

 

Then, he heard the door open and he turned around. He lost his breath and stared openly at Dean. His green eyes were dazzling, brought out by the stone grey turtleneck jumper he was in. The faded blue jeans he was wearing hugged his legs perfectly, highlighting his small waist. As soon as Dean spotted him, he smiled and his lips shone with whatever makeup they had put on him.

 

Dean brushed his fingers over Castiel’s chest, “You look good.”

 

Instead of thanking him like he had intended to, Castiel found himself huffing out a heavy sigh. “I just feel uncomfortable, everything I’m wearing is three sizes too small.”

 

With a laugh, Dean took his hand and pulled him in front of the white photographic screen. Around them, a few assistants started to arrange a simple scene using two tall wooden stalls and Dean was given a box of chocolates.

 

Castiel could feel himself starting to get lightheaded. What if he screwed this up? Ion would be furious as this didn’t look like a cheap shoot. He’d probably smile creepily again and he would look even worse next to Dean who seemed calm and collected. Using his elbow, Dean nudged him in the side. “Stop worrying. Just pretend it’s you and me, that’s what I’m doing.”

 

Castiel’s brow furrowed. “Are you nervous too?”

 

Dean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, “Yeah, a little. Sam still thinks this is a bad idea. But more than that, I’m not used to being around so many...humans. Sam and I have had limited contact, and now I’ve been prodded and poked and photographed.”

 

One of the assistants indicated for them to sit down and in the corner of his eye Castiel could see the photographer, choosing a lens for his camera. “I’m sorry,” He murmured softly.

 

Dean shrugged. “Don’t be, it’s going to be fun and I want to see the photos after. This ain’t your fault anyway.”

 

Castiel nodded with a slight smile.

 

“Okay, you two!” The photographer began with a big grin. Castiel looked over at him and took in his outfit. He was wearing a polo shirt, jeans and sandals with socks. He himself wasn’t exactly fashion conscious but even he tried to be careful to avoid fashion faux pas.

 

“I know you are both in love, but I want to see it now to its fullest.” The photographer grinned, oily and forced. “I want you seated and facing each other, Dean feed Castiel a chocolate by hand.”

 

Castiel turned his wide eyes onto Dean, “Y-you don’t have to do that Dean.”

 

A cheeky grin slid across Dean’s lips, “No, I’d love to.”

 

The photographer waved his hands, “Yes, yes, yes good. Get into position.”

 

Castiel sat himself down on one of the stools, fitting his heels on the rung of the chair. Dean did the same and pulled the end of the golden ribbon letting it flutter over the side of his leg, but the bottom of it remained attached to the metallic bronze box. Castiel glanced into the box, they were all the shapes of different flowers. Heart in his throat he watched as Dean’s freckled fingers plucked out a rose shaped chocolate. As he lifted it, the camera started flashing. Dean laughed and Castiel was glad to see that he wasn’t the only one blushing.

 

“C’mon,” Dean said as he leaned forward.

 

With a sigh, Castiel put his hands on his knees and leaned forward, feeling the tips of Dean’s fingers as they brushed his lips as the sweet chocolate was pressed through his lips. Castiel wrapped his tongue around the chocolate and stared at Dean as the chocolate began to melt on his tongue. Dean stared at him openly and after a moment, he licked his lips too.

 

“Great!” The photographer called. “Now switch props!”

 

The box of chocolates were taken from Dean’s hand and the stools were taken away, in their place, Castiel was given the bouquet of flowers. Dean stepped in close to him on his own volition and Castiel instinctively brought the flowers up to smell them, there were white roses, sprigs of lavender and lily grass.

 

There were more flashes and Castiel huffed out a laugh and looked at Dean. “We don’t even need prompting any more. Should I be embarrassed that I’m naturally sappy enough for a romantic photo shoot?”

 

Dean narrowed his eyes, a mischievous glint in them. “No, but I should be.”

 

When he finished speaking he put a hand on the back of Castiel’s neck and then dragged him in for a kiss. Castiel’s eyes widened for a moment, but then he gave in and let Dean dictate the kiss. As they broke apart, Castiel shot him a glare. “You should know that I don’t like public displays of affection. That is, if we are a thing.”

 

The camera was flashing as they were talking, Castiel held the flowers close to his chest as he waited for Dean’s answer. What he had said implied that there would in fact _be_ more kisses.

 

Grinning at him, Dean chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“Alright!” The photographer called, “That’s a wrap. I think I have what I need. Ion will be in contact with you about the publicity campaign.”

 

Castiel nodded and stepped away from Dean and he gestured down at himself. “I’ll go get changed.” Dean nodded and watched him go.

 

Disappearing out the door, Castiel found his way back to the room Meg had done his makeup and clothes. On the table he found a box of make up removal wipes and he rubbed it over his face. It didn’t take long after that for him to get into his own clothes and find Dean back in the reception lobby.

 

“Thank you for doing that Dean. I know it probably wasn’t wise to make yourself so public.”

 

With a shrug, Dean held open the door for him as he walked him by. “The reason that I had always kept away from you was because demons know my face. But they didn’t know who you were. That changed when that photo was published online. The demons recognized me and thought you must be my charge, therefore someone important to Heaven. So, the harm was already done. May as well take lots more photos right?”

 

Castiel grinned at him, “Right.” As they walked along the sidewalk, he paused and looked up into the sky. Raising his hand, he watched as a little white snowflake float down into the palm of his hand. He showed it to Dean. “It’s snowing.”

 

As soon as he said that, Dean slung an arm low around Castiel’s waist. “Yep.”

 

They were an item now, weren’t they? Castiel thought with a smile. They could hold hands and he could kiss Dean, they could go on dates and do all of the normal human things that people did. Anna’s words over dinner the other night came back to him. “How about we go and get a coffee and a bite to eat? I’d like to get to know you better.”

 

Dean began to walk, slowly tugging Castiel alongside him. “You’d be surprised how boring being an angel is. It’s mostly a lot of watching and waiting. But humans, everyday is different and precious for you guys. I envy you.”

 

Without thinking it through, Castiel spoke. “That is the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. You have powers, have been alive before humanity even began. You can go anywhere you want.”

 

They stopped outside a quaint café, which had boxes of flowers under the green awning. There were tables and chairs outside covered in thick white canvas to protect them from the slowly falling snow.

 

“But,” Dean began, “It’s different for us. There’s no rush to see those things but most importantly, we can’t experience them like you can.”

 

Dean opened the door for the café and Castiel could fresh bread and coffee on the air. He shook his head. “You’re going to have to explain that one to me.”

 

He thanked him as he walked past and into the coffee shop. Heading for the till he looked at the cakes and muffins on the top of the counter, presented in pretty little wicker baskets and at the glass fronted cabinet. He picked out a dark chocolate cherry éclair and ordered himself a short black coffee. Gesturing for Dean, he got out his wallet. “I’m paying, it’s the least I can do.”

 

With a blush across his freckled cheeks, Dean thanked him, “Good cos I haven’t got my wallet.” From out of the cabinet he picked out a slice of apple pie, which the lady behind the counter warmed in the microwave and then topped with cinnamon vanilla ice cream, which was also accompanied by a black coffee.

 

They found a table by a window that was frosted with ice around the edges. Castiel took a sip of his coffee then shrugged off his coat. He took a moment to simply watch Dean as he cut into his pie with the side of his fork, pastry crumbling, and then take it into his mouth. Dean’s eyes fluttered shut and once he swallowed his first bite his lips parted with a little moan. “Damn good pie.”

 

Castiel forced himself to roll his eyes even though he found it terribly cute. “My brownies are better.”

 

Dean laughed and Castiel spotted an amber spot of pie filling on the corner of Dean’s mouth. He reached forward and wiped it away with his thumb, “So explain to me why angels can’t experience things the same as a human?” Castiel was proud that he didn’t blush or apologize, instead he smirked at Dean as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee.

 

Dean stared at him, fork halfway back to the plate Then he shook his head and licked his lips, tip of his tongue lapping over the place that Castiel had touched. “Okay, where to begin…”

 

They chatted for nearly two hours, ordering more coffee and Dean managed to convince him to get a slice of pie and Castiel did the same for Dean with the éclair. As he finished his elderflower cordial, Castiel pushed his chair back. “Back in a minute.”

 

When he walked away, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Dean reach across the table and steal a sip of his cordial. Already, they didn’t have the kind of boundaries that normal people did with one another.

 

He headed to the bathroom and saw the sign for the male side when he saw a flash of bubblegum pink hair. He turned and saw Meg, who shot him a grin. “Heya Castiel.” Castiel’s hand hovered over the door handle, “Did I leave something at the shoot?”

 

Meg shook her head as she got out her cell phone from the black leather jacket she wore. She showed him the screen and Castiel’s heart froze in his chest when he saw the live feed. It was a video of Anna in her garden and then the camera turned so that he saw Brady’s face. His blue eyes glinted with glee, “I want you to leave with Meg and get rid of Dean. Tell him something came up. I really don’t want to hurt Anna, but Alastair here is rather eager. Cooperate and she won’t get hurt.”

 

He didn’t even think. “Okay.”

 

Brady’s grin split wider across his face. “Good, I’ll be seeing you soon Castiel.”

 

The video cut to black and Meg looked expectantly at him. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.” She walked away through a door that led to the back of the café, without a second glance at Castiel.

 

He was numb as he walked back to their table, the smile on Dean’s lips would normally have made him smile back in return but Castiel couldn’t even muster the energy to try and force one. “I left my keys at the photo shoot.” He blurted out, “I’m going to go and get them. I’ll see you later?”

 

Dean pushed away his half finished coffee. “I’ll come with you.”

 

“No!”

 

With a raised eyebrow, Dean stood up, “What is it?”

 

Castiel shook his head, he couldn’t cry or tell Dean what was going on. This was Anna’s life at stake. He was surprised he thought up a lie so quickly. “Ion wants to see me as well. I’d rather go alone for that.”

 

Shrugging, Dean stepped toward Castiel and drew him in for a hug. “Okay, good luck.”

 

If Castiel let the hug linger, neither of them mentioned it. Dean’s hand trailed down his jacket and he sighed at the contact. “Thank you, I better get going.” Castiel forced himself to pull away and walk out those doors. It seemed like the hardest thing in the world not to look over his shoulder and see Dean for one last time. But he was so afraid of giving something away, something in the expression on his face, that Dean would _know_. But he couldn’t risk his family. If they could find Anna, they could just as easily find Gabriel, Michael and Luc.

 

Castiel walked along the street and after a few minutes, he saw Meg leaning against a black car with tinted windows. “Get in.”

 

 

Chapter 5 – Sugar

The car drove to a part of town he wasn’t familiar with. There were warehouses that lined both sides of the streets, some were just empty husks covered with graffiti and with smashed windows that looked like shiny jagged teeth. Meg was whistling the tune of a song he didn’t know and it grated on Castiel’s nerves. For the sake of getting her to be quiet, he finally decided to speak. “What are you going to do with me?”

 

Meg shrugged nonchalantly, “What do you think?” That said, she continued to whistle.

 

It was obvious what they wanted, they didn’t want him to write the book and they probably didn’t care if he died. They were going to kill him, out here in the industrial district, where no one would hear him cry for help…and it was probably easier to get rid of a body out here. Castiel swallowed and looked down at his hands. He wished he had told Dean how he had felt, wished he had said those three words. Hopefully, Dean knew already.

 

The car slowed as it drove up the cracked bitumen driveway of one of the large warehouses. Castiel looked out the window at it. He never imagined that this would be the place where he would die. The car stopped and Meg gestured for him to get out. There really was no point in resisting. Stepping out the car, Castiel followed Meg towards the warehouse. The wind was biting cold and the thin layer of freshly fallen snow had turned to ice and it crunched under foot. Something warm and hard brushed his fingertips. Frowning, he drew it out and his eyes widened when he saw the little band of light. Dean’s halo? Why and how was that in his pocket? He quickly put it back into his pocket. Dean had told him it was all but useless.

 

The shadow of the warehouse passed over them as they walked inside. Brady was there, along with the demon from the other day, Alistair. They were both wearing suits. Brady was in a black suit with a crimson tie and Alistair wore no tie and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top.

 

“Hello Castiel,” Alistair said as he stepped forward. In his hand was a long serrated knife and Castiel’s heart began to beat even faster at the sight of it.

 

“I’m almost disappointed that you didn’t resist. It makes this…” Alistair paused to think, waving the knife casually in the air. “All too easy.”

 

“I came here, just like you said. Do you promise not to hurt any of my family or friends?”

 

Alistair rolled his eyes as he stepped up to Castiel. “Sure” The demon drawled.

 

“Demons can’t break promises?”

 

Alistair raised the knife, “That’s correct.”

 

As soon as those words left Alistair’s lips, he moved. He dug Dean’s halo out of his pocket and brought it forward to the demon’s face. There was a flash of light, but somehow Castiel could see through it. The demons screeched but Alistair seemed the worst effected as his skin began to burn and sizzle from the light.

 

Castiel held it in his hand as he ran, the light casting a long shadow behind him. He ran the way he had come, following the weak sunlight outside. His breath misted before his lips as he got outside and the light from the halo faded. Castiel lowered his hand and looked around himself. The car they had come in was gone, the road was so deserted that small green weeds were pushing up through the cracks. Then, he heard the echo of rapid footsteps. Quickly, Castiel made his way down the side of the warehouse where giant bobbins of coiled wire were abandoned amidst piles of chains and tall empty shipping containers.

 

“We’re going to find you Castiel!” He heard as he crouched down behind one of the shipping containers and slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his heavy breathing. He heard them walking, ice and glass snapping and crunching as the three demons fanned out to find him. Castiel examined the halo in his hand, it was only the size of his palm and now it glowed faintly as though it had used up all of its energy. Raising it to his lips he whispered, “Dean?”

 

It was a long shot, but the halo was supposed to be the angel’s. But nothing happened, there was no flutter of wings, no bright burst of righteous lightning to smite the demons. Castiel tried to stay calm. There was no way he could outrun these demons. He didn’t even know if they could get tired or how to kill them – if that was even possible. He swallowed hard at the thought of trying to kill someone, he had never had a reason to hurt anyone before and he wasn’t sure if he could do it now. Demons looked human after all.

 

Castiel stiffened when he heard footsteps approaching, he looked around himself, for a weapon, anything that might buy him some time. A few yards away he spotted a rusted crowbar that was nestled between a wooden box and a tire. But between it and him there was a large gap and when or if he ran across it, he would be exposed and probably be seen by one of the demons. But those footsteps were drawing closer and he couldn’t just sit there. Pushing himself up, Castiel ran across the gap. In the corner of his eye, he saw Alistair turn and face him with a grin. Swearing under his breath, he skidded to a halt in front of the large tire. His fingers shook as he pushed it aside, the metal crowbar clanging as it rolled over. He didn’t hesitate as he picked it up. As he turned around Alistair was right there. It was as if he had suddenly appeared or maybe it was the rushing of blood in his ears that had stopped him from hearing the demon’s approach.

 

“What are you going to do with that Castiel?” The demon supplied with an oily smile. “You haven’t got a violent bone in your body.”

 

Suddenly, Castiel brought the crowbar up and swung it hard at Alistair. His survival instinct kicking in. He almost dropped the bar when the force of the hit jarred his wrists. The demon howled as he clutched his head, blood was running down from his hairline in a bright red streak. Castiel stared in horror for a moment, “Maybe I’ve got one bone.”

 

Once he spoke those words he ran, fast. He made sure to hold onto the crowbar, even if it didn’t kill demons it at least seemed to hurt them. After a few minutes of running blindly around the complex of warehouses and debris, he skidded to a stop by a shed. Through the windows he could see chains swinging idly in the breeze. He put his back to the shed and slid down to his haunches. He couldn’t keep doing this. Laying the crowbar down onto his lap, he took the halo out of his pocket again. The feeble glow was and it was replaced by a strong golden pulse. Speaking into it hadn’t worked last time. Castiel slipped the halo onto his ring finger. It was warm and it tightened slightly so it wouldn’t slip off.

 

“ _Cas?_ ”

 

He jumped and looked around wildly for the voice.

 

“ _No Cas, I’m in your head. Where are you? Don’t speak out loud. Just think about your answers._ ”

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Castiel gripped the crowbar again. _I’m not sure. There are a lot of abandoned warehouses, I’m on the edge of town I think. There are three demons here. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in the café._

He could almost feel Dean shake his head somewhere behind his eyes where Dean’s presence seemed to linger like a gentle pressure. “ _Don’t be sorry. I thought something was up, why’d you think I slipped my halo into your pocket_.”

 

Chitchat could wait, Castiel was shivering with the cold and fear and he tried his best not to let his teeth chatter _Can you teleport here and grab me?_

“ _No. I have to know where I’m going. I have to be guided or been there previously_.”

 

_How can I guide you?_

Dean sighed in his head, “ _You ain’t going to like it._ ”

 

Again, he could hear footsteps but accompanying them now was whistling.

 

_I trust you Dean. You’re my guardian angel._

Dean huffed, “ _Okay, you need to let me take over. I need to see through your eyes_.”

 

_How do I do that?_

 

“ _It’s easy, just don’t fight me_.”

 

He had no idea what that meant. It sounded too abstract to be of any help. Castiel settled down and released his hold on the crowbar. He closed his eyes and when he did the halo on his finger began to vibrate. Then, that presence in his head began to swell, get larger and larger like a balloon being filled. It hurt and Castiel hissed in pain.

 

“ _Relax, don’t fight it. It’ll only give you a massive migraine again if you push back against me_.”

 

Castiel blew out a deep breath and tried to relax. The ring began to vibrate again. Castiel realized that the growing pressure was because he was concentrating on that sensation too much, was pushing back against it. But now he just let it wash over him, fill his body from the tips of his toes to his tousled hair. It was a pleasant feeling, like stepping into a bath that was just the right temperature; prickling skin, warm and relaxing.

 

“ _You’re doing good Cas. I nearly got the reins. I won’t be long in your meat-suit, okay?_ ”

 

Castiel hummed as all of his limbs felt sleepy and heavy. This was much better than being drunk. He heard Dean chuckle at the thought and then his body stood up all by itself. Castiel felt like a spectator in his own body. It was like he was seeing through someone else’s eyes when he raised his hands and wiggled his fingers.

 

“ _Just testing you out_.”

 

His body took a few steps away from the shed and he looked around up at the sky. It was starting to get dark now and the snow was starting to fall heavier and heavier. Then, there was a metallic sound behind him.

 

Meg was there, a serrated knife in her hand, smaller than the one Alistair had wielded.

 

Castiel saw the fear on her face as she took in his appearance. His eyes were consumed with golden fire and there were translucent wings sprouting from his back.

 

“What the hell?” She murmured as she took a step back.

 

Castiel’s lips began to move and he heard his voice, but it wasn’t _his_ voice but a strange amalgam between his rougher tone and Dean’s hint of southern twang. “Let’s make this easy sweetheart and tell me where I am. I can swoop in and drag Cas out.”

 

Meg slowly began to smile. “So, what, you’re not fully in that body Dean? Didn’t want to burn him out huh?”

 

Castiel recoiled at the words and Dean hissed in pain as he tried to maintain his hold on Castiel’s body. “ _Calm down Cas. She’s right. I’m not fully in your body, I can’t use my powers here. It might do irreparable damage and I won’t do that to you. You said you trusted me, remember?_ ”

 

 _I do._ But it was hard to trust someone using and controlling your body, to not eject them at the thought that it might kill him if Dean decided to take full possession. But every time Dean had touched him, had smiled at him, he had been gentle and kind.

 

His body idly swung the crowbar at his side, “Look Meg, I like this little guy-“

 

_Little?_

 

Dean ignored him and continued to speak. “And if anything happened to him, well, I wouldn’t have an assignment anymore and I’d be looking for things to do. I would make it my new mission to hunt you down and hurt you. Capishce? So let’s do this the easy way.”

 

With a casual shrug of her shoulders, Meg smiled at him, “I never liked these guys anyway. The address is 223 Harlequin Avenue.”

 

The golden tether that had kept Dean in control of his body was severed, sudden and fast, and Castiel was jolted back into the driver’s seat of his body. He gasped as his muscles seized and the crowbar clanged to the floor a moment before he went down onto his knees. His whole body _ached_.

 

Meg looked down at him, but didn’t move otherwise. “It’s a real doozy havin’ an angel in you, ain’t it?”

 

Castiel groaned and put a hand to his temple, the world’s worst migraine was currently driving nails into his brain. “Yes.” He growled out, voice gravel rough.

 

Then, he heard wings beating in the air and when he looked up, Dean was standing there and he held out a hand. Castiel saw the freckles on his knuckles and the engine grease staining his fingers.

 

Noticing where his attention lay, Dean smiled easily, “Sorry, I was tuning the Impala.”

 

Castiel had no idea what ‘the Impala’ was, but he took his hand regardless. Pulling him to his feet, Dean tugged him close to his chest, so close that Castiel accidentally stepped onto the toes of his brown boots. “Let’s get you home.”

 

Before he teleported away Dean glanced at Meg. “And thanks.”

 

Meg rolled her eyes, “I think I just vomited a little.”

 

Castiel nodded at her and she nodded back. Maybe, just like Archie, not all demons were bad. He didn’t think Dean or Sam would agree with him though.

 

The ground shifted, the world seemed to tilt on its axis and Castiel was suddenly standing in his living room. His house was warm and Archie ran down the stairs, meowing as he came.

 

“He was worried about you.” Sam said from the kitchen as he brought Castiel a mug of cocoa, complete with white marshmallows.

 

At the confused look Castiel gave him, Sam explained, “I was back up, in case there was a fight so I thought it might be a good idea to wait here. One angel against three demons isn’t good odds and teleporting with a human takes a few seconds. Dean wanted to make sure.”

 

Castiel accepted the mug and wrapped his chilled fingers around the warm porcelain. Sam’s hazel eyes watched him carefully, as though he was going to tip over at any moment.

 

“Are you okay?” Sam finally asked as Dean let go of his arm and stepped back. “My brother’s not exactly gentle.”

 

Bringing the mug up to his lips, Castiel savored the sugary sweet taste. “I’m very grateful to be alive. I can live with a migraine.”

 

In the corner of his eye, Castiel saw Dean step forward and press two fingers to his temple. The migraine dissipated fast, like mist before a sunrise. Castiel looked at Dean with wide eyes and the angel merely wiggled his fingers. “Magic fingers.”

 

Well, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about migraines anymore.

 

Sam stepped back, “I have to go. I’ve been assigned to watch over Anna. Are you sure you’ll be okay Cas? Dean is a pretty useless angel.”

 

“Hey!” Dean barked, “I think I did pretty good!”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Sam turned his attention back on him and he nodded again, “Yes, thank you.”

 

As soon as those words left his lips, Sam blinked away and he was left alone with Dean. Taking another sip of his sweet cocoa, he looked over at Dean. “For the record I think you’re a very good angel.” But Dean was looking down at his shoes and his shoulders were slumped. “Dean?”

 

All of a sudden, Dean moved and closed the space between them. He wrapped his arms around Castiel’s back and tugged him in tight against his chest. Castiel dropped the cocoa with a smash of porcelain as Dean accidentally it knocked it out of his hand. Castiel couldn’t bring himself to care about the dark brown stain that was soaking into his carpet. Instead he bowed his head and rested his forehead against Dean’s shoulder as the angel crushed him in a tight hug. He could feel Dean shaking.

 

“I was so scared Cas.”

 

Voice muffled against Dean’s green Henley, Castiel asked, “Of what?”

 

There was a shaky sigh before Dean spoke. “Of losing you.”

 

Castiel breathed in Dean’s scent; cinnamon, apples, old spice, engine grease, and tried his best to fight the burn of tears in his eyes. He had nearly died, that fact hadn’t quite sunk in yet but the thing that hurt most of all, in a bitter sweet way, was that Dean-

 

“I love you.” Dean murmured.

 

-       loved him. And he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy his life with him.

 

“I know we only met a few days ago. But I’ve been watching over you your whole life. I know everything there is about you. It hurt me so much, when I realized how I felt, but that I could never go to you.” He heard Dean swallow. “And so when I saw you slip on that banana peel, I didn’t care that we were photographed, that we went viral as a couple. It made me so happy.” Dean’s laugh had a bitter hint to it, “Even though that’s selfish, it brought you into this mess of demons and angels.”

 

Castiel pulled back so that he could gaze into Dean’s eyes. He narrowed his eyes at him and shook his head. “Don’t. Don’t apologize, because I’ve fallen for you too. Everything that’s happened in between has been worth it. I love you Dean, you idiot.”

 

Once he finished speaking, Castiel hid his face against Dean’s chest again. There was a furious reddening of the tops of his ears but he was smiling. The fluttering in his belly, the giddy feeling he got when he thought about Dean was mutual. Maybe this was a love that had come fast and would leave just as fast, but his gut told him this was something different and very special.

 

Dean’s arms on him relaxed and he felt his warm fingers on his chin as he pulled up his head. Dean leaned in for a kiss that started off chaste and grew more and more intense. Castiel moaned into the kiss, went boneless and rested against Dean as his fingers curled in his shirt. He broke away from the kiss to suck in a breath and Dean grazed his teeth over his tingling lips like a signature.

 

“I’ve waited a long time to do that.” Dean murmured, voice almost reverential as his warm green eyes met Castiel’s.

 

Castiel hummed and rolled his hips as the sensations from the kiss thrummed through him. “And I’ve been waiting a long time to be kissed like that.”

 

There was a moment’s hesitation before Dean spoke, “Want to take this upstairs?”

 

Castiel couldn’t think of one good reason to say no. He didn’t care that this was going so fast, that they were probably still anxious after his near death experience. All he knew was that he wanted this and he trusted Dean.

 

“Yes.”

 

The room shifted and Castiel felt the rug in the living room being ripped out from under his feet, only to be replaced with the wooden floorboards at the base of his king sized bed.

 

Dean held him by the shoulders and began to kiss at his neck, pausing to suck lightly at the fluttering of his pulse. It was ticklish and despite himself, Castiel laughed and stumbled onto the bed, falling flat on his back on the mattress.

 

Dean didn’t seem to mind as he climbed up onto the bed and stared down at him, licking his lips as he put his knees on either sides of Castiel’s legs, bracketing him in. Reaching down, Dean fingered the button to Castiel’s jeans and then he popped hem open and the metallic hiss of the zipper soon followed. Castiel went still and he watched Dean’s every movement, the angel tugged off his jeans and let them fall to the floor. The angel watched his face as he ran his hands up his legs, fingers straying near the waistband of his black briefs before he skirted away and flicked the elastic at the leg hole. With a shiver, Castiel canted his hips up, inviting Dean to take them off and the angel did exactly that. He slowly pulled them off, the fabric whispering over his skin. With his cock exposed Dean looked up at him from under hooded lashes. He put his hands on Castiel’s hips and his fingers strayed under his shirt.

 

To stop himself from whimpering with need, Castiel brought his hand up to his lips and he bit down on his knuckles. Dean’s lips quirked with a mischievous smile as he lowered his head and gave the tip of his flushed cock a light kiss. Castiel gasped around his knuckles at the first warm press against the sensitive flesh. “Don’t tease,” He grumbled and it occurred to him that Dean was suddenly naked too, in the blink of an eye.

 

“Did you-?”

 

“There are some benefits to having an angelic boyfriend you know.”

 

Castiel huffed and pushed himself up onto his elbows, he wanted to watch Dean. “Are there any other benefits?” He cringed internally, his dirty talk was terrible but it amused Dean, who bit his lip as he nodded.

 

“Oh yeah.” His head lowered again and his lips parted, he took the head of Castiel’s cock into his mouth and his lips glided down his length, not stopping the slow warm descent until Castiel felt the tip of his cock bump the back of Dean’s throat. Castiel gasped, his head thrown back as his fingers clutched the sheets. If he could speak, he would’ve asked where the hell an angel learned how to give perfect blowjobs.

 

Dean hummed as he kept his lips tightly wrapped around the base of his cock and the vibrations had Castiel instinctively jerking his hips up. He mumbled out an apology but Dean continued as he ignored him, slowly taking his mouth off his cock to take a breath, before he took him into his mouth again. Dean’s cheeks were hollowed, his lips slick with saliva and pink as he began to build up a rhythm. Castiel’s toes curled in the sheets as his balls grew tight. He reached out a hand and threaded his fingers through Dean’s hair, needing to hold onto something as pleasure zipped up and down his spine.

 

“D-Dean.” He would be embarrassed about it later, but he was already so close to coming. “Please.”

 

Dean pulled off him with a lurid pop and licked his lips again, he leaned up and caught Castiel’s lips in a kiss. It was all kinds of dirty but Castiel couldn’t bring himself to care as Dean kissed him and he could taste himself on the angel’s tongue. The kiss was brief but hard as Dean moved down again and began to suck Castiel’s cock, head bobbing as his pace quickened. Castiel was panting and moaning. Fingers tight in Dean’s hair. When Dean flicked the tip of his tongue along the slit of his cock, he came hard and his eyes squeezed shut as he bucked into the heat of Dean’s mouth. Dean’s throat worked around him, squeezing and massaging his length as he swallowed.

 

Castiel’s ears were ringing as he collapsed back down onto the bed, boneless and sated as he sucked in breaths to calm his racing heart. The bed shifted as Dean moved up and brushed his fingers through Castiel’s sweaty hair. “That okay?”

 

Castiel replied with just a moan at first, until he managed to find a few words to mumble out, “More than good.”

 

Dean smiled brightly, “Good.”

 

After running from his life, having the best orgasm of his life, Castiel was so tired it was hard to stay awake. “But you haven’t come yet Dean.” He whispered as he opened his eyes. Dean lay down next to him and he shrugged his freckled shoulders. “We’ve got time for that later. Just rest for now Cas.”

 

Castiel closed his eyes again and he had never felt safer and more content when Dean wrapped his arms around him.

 

 

Chapter 6 – Butter

When he woke up, he could hear someone moving around under him in the kitchen. The smell of pancakes wafted up the stairs. Turning over onto his side, Archie was there watching him and he purred. Castiel reached out and scratched his chin, “Morning. Is Dean downstairs?” Again, Archie nodded. Castiel didn’t think he’d ever get used to that.

 

Climbing out of bed, he took off his shirt from yesterday and threw it on the floor. His room had never been so messy. He took his bathrobe off the hook at the back of the door as he padded downstairs in his socks. As he got closer to the kitchen, he could hear whistling. As he stepped off the last of the stairs, he turned into the kitchen and he froze. Dean was making a batter, there was a pot of coffee brewing and the skillet was ready on the element of the stove. But the thing that caught his attention was Dean himself – buck-naked.

 

Dean glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his hips as he grinned at him. “Mornin’ sleeping beauty. You finally decided to get your lazy butt out of bed huh?”

 

With a shake of his head, Castiel soaked in the slope of Dean’s muscular back, the dusting of freckles on his ass cheeks and the jut of his hipbones. “Speaking of butts, why are you cooking naked?”

 

Dean turned back to the kitchen bench and he cut off a piece of butter and he threw it into the skillet. It began to sizzle and the pleasant smell of melting butter mixed with the scent of fresh coffee. “Why not cook naked?”

 

Castiel could think of several reasons why and one of them displayed itself for him as the butter spat at Dean and the angel bit out a curse in a strange language. With a small laugh, Castiel wandered over and trailed his fingers along the small of Dean’s back. “Thank you for making breakfast.”

 

Dean shrugged and grinned as he tipped the porcelain mixing bowl to create a circle of batter in the pan. Castiel watched as bubbles rose to the surface of the pale brown batter as it began to cook. “It’s my pleasure.”

 

It was still hard to believe that this might become part of his normal routine. Castiel got out two mugs and began to pour their coffee. He paused when he looked down at his notepad and pen. He picked it up, abandoning his coffee as he was gripped with an idea. All thoughts of breakfast went out of the window as he sat down at the table and began to write. The words came easy and fast, as natural as breathing.

 

Dean turned to watch him and he smiled.

 

 

Epilogue

Castiel was nervous. More nervous than he had been for a long time. His new book was in his hand and on the jacket there was the photo of him and Dean that had started his new life, the banana incident. The car rolled to a stop but before he reached for the door handle to get out, he ran his fingers over the golden letters of the title of his book. ‘The Recipe for Love’.

 

He jumped when Dean held onto his wrist. “Don’t be nervous. People are going to love your book.”

 

Castiel sighed and looked away from his book. “Aren’t you nervous too? I hope you don’t mind that I’m having my book launch at your new bakery. Aren’t I stealing your thunder? It’s the first day it’s open.”

 

Dean’s eyes creased with a smile and he leaned over and planted a kiss on Castiel’s cheek. “No way, I couldn’t get better publicity.”

 

That said, Dean got out of the car and Castiel noticed him walking around the back of it to open the door for him. Castiel stepped out and smiled at Dean. There was a small crowd waiting for them, photographers, news crews, Sam, Anna, Gabriel, Luc and even Michael. Cameras flashed at them and the black lenses of television cameras followed them as they walked to the red ribbon of Dean’s new café. Dean took Castiel’s hand as they walked and he smiled when he looked up and saw the name of the bakery. ‘Angel’s Delight’.

 

Dean let go of Castiel’s hand and picked up the giant golden scissors that were waiting for him. Castiel saw in the window of his shop his brownies ready to go on sale. They were stacked in layers, with whipped cream and strawberries filling in every second layer. Right next to it was Dean’s apple cinnamon pie. He turned back around and hugged his book to his chest.

 

In the corner of his eye he could see Dean blushing and he was glad that he wasn’t the only one. Then there was a metallic snip and the red ribbon fluttered apart.

 

Dean spoke, his voice captured by the journalists and cameras. “I now declare Angel’s Delight open and the launch of Castiel Milton’s new book, ‘The Recipe for Love’.”

 

Putting down the scissors, Dean turned and tugged Castiel in, a hand on the back of his neck. He kissed him hard and passionate and Castiel forgot about the crowd and his family watching them. The cameras flashed as new photos of their love were captured.

 

 


End file.
